So, apparently, I'm becoming a Gym Leader
by Vincent Z.N
Summary: Me? The Gym Leader? Okay, that escalated quickly. Time wasn't on my side, and I managed to learn a couple of things about how to train Pokémon... But can that knowledge be a substitute for my grandpa's experience?
1. Chapter 1

_I want to thank **Dokokashira** for helping me editing and correcting this fanfic. _

_I hope that you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

* * *

 **Part One**

Although I've lived in a Pokémon Gym for years, I've never seen a battle as stunning as that one. Her battle style was captivating and very unique, Infernape imitated everything she did. When she threw an arm in the air, he knew that he had to use a Fire Punch. When she jumped, he instantly did the same. That trick was useful to avoid fast attacks, since it's faster to show your Pokémon what you want them to do instead of saying it. It was the first time in my life that I saw that technique. In the beginning of the battle, I thought she was just messing around, but after watching her for a half-hour, I noticed the pattern.

My grandpa looked at the scoreboard from time to time, and smiled with every look at it. He loved challenges. The tougher the opponent, the better the battle. And I swear that I didn't want the battle to finish either.

It was a long battle, and the Pokémon gave all they got. After almost an hour of battling, the score was 2-1, her favor. Winning was going to be difficult for Grandpa. Even if he defeated Infernape, Chloe had two more Pokémon ready to fight.

"We can do this, Sylvie!" he exclaimed.

Sylveon never lost sight of her opponent, who was quickly running towards her. Grandpa was silent. As Infernape was getting closer, she bent her knees, preparing to jump.

"Flame Wheel!" Chloe shouted, punching a fist in the air.

Sylveon jumped as soon as she saw Infernape, dressed up in scorching flames and about to hit her.

"Sylvie, are you okay?" Grandpa asked right away. His Pokémon nodded when she landed on the ground. That was close.

My grandma entered the room, and sat next to me.

"Haru, how's the battle going?" she asked.

Sometimes Grandma cheered on the challengers, because she enjoyed being around passionate Pokémon Trainers. _The dazzling spirit of youth_ , she would say.

"It's going great, actually," I replied. I couldn't stop looking at the battle. I noticed I had been biting my bottom lip for a while without even realizing it.

"Your grandfather looks like he's enjoying himself," she said. "I'm glad!"

"Moonblast!" Grandpa shouted. I held on to my seat.

"Flare Blitz!" Chloe exclaimed.

Once again, Infernape's body was surrounded by flames. He roared as he became one with the fire. Sylveon stayed still and closed her eyes as he ran towards her. _Hurry up, Sylveon!_ Infernape jumped, determined to hit her, but she opened her eyes and threw a radiant ball of light at him.

"Infernape!" Chloe screamed. Her Pokémon was hit midair and fell in the ground.

The ape's flames vanished. He tried to stand up, but he ended up falling again. She ran towards him, kneeled down, and hugged him.

"You did a great job, but it's time to rest, huh?" Infernape hugged her as she spoke.

"Sylvie! You did it again!" Grandpa said. He rubbed her head. "Let's win this battle!"

"Yeah! I knew they could win!" I exclaimed.

My grandmother started laughing. So loud that even my grandpa noticed her. He looked at us and waved his hand. I showed him a thumb up.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"I love when you cheer your grandfather so much," she said. I looked away from her.

What she said was true. But it was embarrassing to confess that. I didn't understand why, but it felt awkward listening to what Grandma said. I didn't want to accept it or deny it.

"So, um, what are we having for dinner tonight?" I wanted to change the topic. Smooth move, I know.

"I prepared a lot of food. Tonight is a special occasion, isn't it?" she replied. I didn't know why it was a special occasion, but I was glad my distraction technique worked.

Infernape returned to his Poké Ball and Chloe chose her next Pokémon.

"Drifblim, you can do this!" she yelled.

The two Pokémon approached each other in the center of the arena. Sylveon stared at her opponent. Drifblim's eyes were void of emotion.

"Sylvie! Use Light Screen!"

"He knows a lot," I said.

"Why do you think so?" Grandma asked, grinning. She seemed to love that I noticed and understood everything Grandpa did.

"Since Sylveon is low on HP, Grandpa used Light Screen. I'm sure you figured out why, didn't you? Drifblim is a Ghost-type Pokémon, and most of the time, they attack with special moves," I explained. "So he's trying to protect Sylveon."

"Oh! You always impress me! And yes, Light Screen protects from special damage. You know as much as your grandpa," she said. I blushed a little. Why did she always have to say the most embarrassing things?

"I understand what they're doing, but only the theory," I said. I spent a lot of time studying and reading Pokémon books, but I never started my training. I didn't even have my first Pokémon yet. "And you also know quite a lot about Pokémon, Grandma."

Sylveon created a pink Light Screen as the Shadow Ball flew towards her. It crashed into the screen and burst into dark fragments. Chloe gasped.

"Drifblim, fly higher!" she shouted.

Her Pokémon flew away from Sylveon, and when the Light Screen vanished, Chloe pointed at Sylveon.

"Shadow Ball again!"

Drifblim threw a huge ball made out of darkness to the unaware Sylveon. It darted towards her, exploding as it hit.

"Sylvie!" Grandpa shouted. "Are you okay?" His Pokémon appeared from the dust of the explosion. Her ribbons were floating in the air with grace.

"Sylvie! You can do this!" I yelled. I stood up and ran. I wanted to be closer to the arena. "This isn't over!" Chloe and my grandpa looked at me. My intervention seemed to surprise them. I just didn't want the battle to end.

Sylveon and I smiled at each other.

"I believe in you!"

"Let's do this together. Sylvie! You and me! As we always did," Grandpa said while punching a fist in the air. "And now, for the last time… Dazzling Gleam!"

Sylveon ran near Drifblim. I rubbed my hands against my jeans several times, I couldn't stop the sweating. Several screams filled the arena. I couldn't move my eyes from Sylveon, who was charging her power. Drifblim looked confused. Maybe he hadn't faced that move before, because Chloe also seemed puzzled. She frowned.

"Drifblim! You have to avoid that move!" she commanded.

But little did she know about that move, or why it was the emblematic attack of our Gym. She finally pointed at Drifblim and shouted, "Phantom Force!"

Drifblim vanished. Sylveon stayed in the same place, trying to concentrate on her energy. Phantom Force… It could be an intelligent strategy for finishing the battle right there. But Chloe and Drifblim would need to be completely aware of their surroundings for their move to be successful.

"Sylvie! To the left!" Grandpa pointed. I looked right there. A faint shadow emerged from a misty void and charged towards Sylveon. She was ready to unleash her power, and her ribbons rattled.

A dark mist covered all the gym. I couldn't see what was going on until a pink light consumed the shadows.

Chloe and my grandpa ran towards their Pokémon, both of them fainted and lying on the ground. Chloe rubbed Drifblim. Her Pokémon couldn't move. She returned him to his Poké Ball and smiled. My grandpa was about to cry — I could see how his eyes got wet. He hugged Sylveon. She moved and tried to open her eyes, but she was too tired to keep fighting.

"You were… incredible. But... that's it. Sylvie… We've lost," he said with a soft voice. He was trying to hide his tears while he spoke.

I entered the battle arena and hugged my grandpa and Sylveon. They did an excellent job. I was sad, but at the same time, I was excited because of their amazing battle. My grandpa dropped a couple of tears, but they didn't carry sadness, only pure emotion. I felt the same way.

My grandpa stood up, and let Sylveon rest in her Poké Ball.

"You have another Pokémon ready to fight, don't you?" he asked Chloe.

"Yes, I do," she answered.

"You have to show us the Pokémon you have left. That's required to recognize your victory," he said.

"It's not a problem," she replied with a huge smile on her face. "I need you, Froslass!" she exclaimed as she took the Poké Ball out. Her Froslass looked happy, too.

"Chloe... You win!" he exclaimed. "You deserve this badge!"

She ran towards him biting her lower lip. "It was an amazing battle," she said.

"That's why I'm happy to give you the Whimsy Badge," he replied, handing her our Gym's badge.

"It's adorable! I like it a lot," she said.

"And don't forget that you are staying here for dinner." My grandmother suddenly appeared. I hadn't realized that she was walking towards us until she spoke. "I made a delicious dinner for tonight."

"I'm glad to stay! Thanks," Chloe answered.

We left the gym and headed towards the house. Both buildings were united by a long corridor. Through the many windows, you could see our garden. Some of our Pokémon were still there. Spritzee and the Swirlix twins loved to play outside up until dinner time. The pleasant smell of food flooded the house. I knew what my Grandma had prepared for us thanks to the distinctive aroma of garlic and the fresh scent of oregano. Grandpa went to the kitchen while I, Chloe, and Grandma waited in the dining room, already sitting at the table. I could already imagine the taste of Grandma's lasagna and I started to wonder if she had prepared baked potatoes too, as she usually did.

"Oh, I don't think I know your name," she said to Grandma. "I know Haru's and your husband's names, but not yours."

"I'm Setsuko," my grandma replied.

"I'm Chloe, and I'm pleased to meet you!" she replied, smiling.

"I wanted to ask you something," I said. Chloe looked at me. That was our first interaction.

"What's the matter, Haru?"

"I'm curious about why you waited until today to get your last badge."

That Friday was the last day in which you could battle against a Gym Leader to earn a Badge. The tournament was going to start next Monday, so the weekend was dedicated to preparing for the event.

"I planned on coming here last month... But—" She stopped there. Maybe she was trying to figure out how to reply. She blushed and looked at the floor.

"But?" I asked.

"My last Gym battle was in Snowpoint, so I came from there, and I may or may not have gotten lost inside Mt. Coronet," she replied. Without even looking at me, she crossed her arms. "And then, maybe I also got lost in Faye Forest. But I don't know, it's just… It's just a possibility!" She burst out laughing.

"So you're not precisely a compass," Grandma giggled. Chloe's cheeks were burning red. "Everything is fine now, though. You have your Badges and you can't get lost on the way to the Pokémon League."

"I've already bought the ticket for the ship that goes from Canalave City to Lily of the Valley Island. The tournament is held there," she replied.

"Do you know how to get to Canalave City?" I asked. She said that the first time she tried to get to our city, she got lost. And Faye City isn't so far from Canalave. It's just a walk in the forest. She must be somewhat bad with orientation.

"I do! Of course I do!" she said. She stared at us for a moment. And we stared at her. Then she decided to break the silence. "Of course I don't… Sorry. I don't know how to get back there".

Grandpa came back from the kitchen, carrying some dishes. I was right! Lasagna for dinner. My heart was pumping. I felt like a schoolgirl under a cherry blossom tree about to confess to my beloved. But it was a lasagna. And I felt no shame. He put the dishes in the table and sat with us.

"I overheard you from the kitchen," he said. "I can go with you tomorrow morning to Canalave City. The Gym will be closed anyway".

"You would do that for me?" Chloe asked. "Thank you! Really, I'm so grateful!"

"It was an honor battling against you. So I don't mind guiding you to the city," he said. "And I want to thank you for making my last battle as the Gym Leader so special!"

...Last battle?

"I'm retiring," he announced.

My jaw dropped, almost touching the floor. Metaphorically, of course. I couldn't believe what my grandfather just said. My feelings were like a glass, broken apart by his tough, sudden words.

"What's the matter, Haru?" he said.

"How can you do this to me?" I almost shouted. He didn't reply to me. He looked at Grandma and kept quiet. "Why didn't you tell me this before? I assume you decided this a long time ago."

"Not exactly… I wanted to be the Gym Leader, at least, until the next season. But I think this is the perfect time to retire. I'm old, and I'm not as energetic as I used to be," he replied.

"I understand your point, but it's not something that you decide overnight! Why didn't you talk about this with me?" I exclaimed.

My face was getting red. I hated when people hid things from me.

"I can't tell you how or why I decided to retire tonight… At least for now," he replied.

I kept quiet. I honestly didn't know what to say. And I didn't want to shout at my grandpa in front of Chloe again. Once was enough.

"And you know what this means? You are going to be the Gym Leader next September!" he said.

I kept staring at him.

"Congratulations!" Chloe exclaimed. I looked at her and blinked once. Maybe she thought I was being rude, not that I cared.

"Haru…" my grandmother said to me. I looked at her. "Don't be too hard on your grandpa. He tried to tell you but he didn't want to upset you."

"Actually, if he had told me before I wouldn't be as upset as I am right now," I replied. The gears started moving and I suddenly realized the truth. "Wait. Grandma. So you knew? You knew that he was going to retire?"

"Yes. I knew it, but we didn't want to tell you yet".

Changing the leader of a gym is not something you decide by yourself in just one day. There's a long process behind it, and some rules. One of them is that if someone starts the season in charge of a Gym, the same person has to end the season being the leader. So, I understood why I didn't start being the leader for the current season. My grandfather had to be in charge until the tournament started.

The Pokémon League season started in September and ended in June of the next year. So I didn't understand why I wasn't appointed leader ten months before. That was the reason I had to believe that he decided everything overnight.

When my grandfather announced his retirement, I knew a couple of things about Gyms. But, since I never actually battled, I wasn't prepared in that moment either. I spent almost two years studying Pokémon battles. And maybe my grandfather thought I would do fine with that, but just reading doesn't make you a good Trainer. The timing was perfect, though, the gym leader changes were made during summer. But contrary of what he thought, I wasn't ready.

My stomach ached during the conversation, and after her words, I felt dizzy. They betrayed me. They hid things from me. That's not how a family behaves. That's not what they're supposed to do.

"I'm not prepared," I said to them.

"You can train with your grandfather during the summer," my grandma replied.

"But, even if I train every day of the summer, I won't..." I was speechless. I rested my hands on the table and took a deep breath. "This is too soon!"

My grandfather stood up and glared at me. He had a serious face, a shiver ran down my spine. He never looked at me like that before.

"Stop being a child!" he shouted as he clenched his fists.

"No!" I rose to my feet so quickly that the chair almost fell behind me. His eyes had a spark to them, a spark that only shined when he was passionate about something. "You're trying to leave all your responsibilities to me, and that's not fair!"

"What? Do you actually think I'm going to disappear and leave all the hard work to you? I could. Of course I could leave you alone and go with Grandma to some tropical island and stop worrying about this place. But I won't. Haru, for God's sake. I'm going to be around you until you can manage this place alone."

"I can accept this. Maybe it can work out. But, if you wanted to retire now, why didn't we start training before?"

"You are going to be even better than me, I know that. But please, don't be afraid now!" he exclaimed. I tried to object but when I opened my mouth he rose his finger and hushed me. "Remember all those nights you spent reading Pokémon theory books. You've read all the books in our library."

He was right. I read a lot of books, and I always watched him battle.

"It's true, Grandpa. But I spent almost two years living here and you never actually trained with me."

"I was busy with my chores."

"Is that your only argument?" I shouted.

"I couldn't take care of so many things. I felt overwhelmed." He rolled his eyes. Sometimes he behaved like a child.

"Can you stop avoiding my questions? I want to know the truth," I replied. I wasn't going to stop insisting until he told me the real reason for not training, or for his sudden retirement. "If you wanted to retire this year, and I happened to be here, waiting to be trained, why we didn't train at all?"

He sat again on his chair. His eyes looked tired and he sighed.

"I can't tell you right now," he replied. "But I feel this is the right moment for you to start."

"You can be the Leader until next season, and we can spent a whole year training," I said. That was the reasonable thing to do.

He looked at Grandma. He smiled and I was totally confused. His smile wasn't exactly a happy or cheerful smile. While he smiled with his mouth, his eyes told a complete different story. Grandma shook her head softly. I didn't spoke their personal language but I could guess she was trying to say 'We tried, but there's no way'. Seeing Grandpa, who was confident and a source of strength, so downhearted made me realize that I wasn't thinking about his needs. Or even their needs. Maybe Grandma needed him to retire too. Maybe I was being too selfish.

"I am the only child of your daughter, after all," I said. He looked at me again. "I was waiting to be your successor, so I shouldn't care about when to start. And I am the only one who can be even better than you were."

"I dare you to be," he said.

When I came to the Gym two years ago, I had already accepted that sometime in the future I would be the next Leader. I was just angry because he didn't decide with me when to appoint me as the new Leader. That was an important decision and I should've been involved in it.

"I know you'll make me proud!" he replied to me. This scene is all so much better! Great job.

"That was it, you two," my grandma said. "You have given Chloe a good show. Now sit and eat the dinner, please." She was trying to hide her smile. Gladly, she was happy with the decision too. Her opinion was important to me.

Chloe clapped. "I enjoyed your show!" she said to us. "It's obvious that you two have a close relationship." I blushed a little.

"They are always like that," my grandma said. "They've got a lot in common. After living together all those years Haru has copied everything his grandfather does." She laughed and covered her mouth with a hand.

"Hey! That's not true!"

"Now that you point it out… They look really similar," she stared at me without blinking. Maybe she was trying to analyze me. "Even their eyes… That's so strange!" She and Grandma were laughing so joyfully, that I did too.

"And my husband had the same hair color as Haru. When he was in his twenties, he looked like Haru looks today. Maybe I can try to find one picture…" Grandma stood up and look into a drawer. "I have some pictures of Hideki here in a little box… I wonder where it is."

"It's on the left drawer!" Grandpa said.

"Indeed, here it is," she brought it to the table. "Look at this!" She showed a black and white picture of my Grandpa to Chloe. I wanted to see it too, since I had never seen those old pictures before.

"Whoa! He looks exactly like Haru!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Can I look at it?" I asked. My Grandma handed it to me. It was true. We could've been twins. Only if I was born fifty years ago.

"I think the only real difference is that Hideki never had his hair wavy. He always had it short," Grandma said.

"I like Haru's hair," Chloe replied. She smiled at me.

I was silent for a moment.

"Thank you," I finally said, stammering. I didn't enjoy being the center of attention. I felt exposed. My knee was bouncing and I tried to stop it before anyone could notice it. "I also, um, like your hair. It's very—"I stopped for a moment, trying to think about something to say. "Er, red? Yeah, it's very red and straight."

"That's the only straight thing on me," she replied, starting to laugh. I chuckled. Nothing on my body was bouncing anymore, and my always-sweating hands were dry. Maybe I wasn't as socially awkward as I pictured myself to be, after all.

"So… Haru, are you ready for the Five Ancient Labors?" my grandmother said.

"Not exactly," I replied. "I don't even know when they are starting."

"Next Monday," my grandpa added.

"This is another thing you should've told me before," I said.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but what are the Five Ancient Labors?" Chloe asked.

"They are also known as the Labors," my grandmother said. "And they are five tasks that an aspiring Gym Leader has to go through. They have been around since the city's foundation. And the Faye Association are the ones who judge the aspiring Leader's performance".

"The Faye Association is the Pokémon Association's subgroup of this city," I said.

"I figured that out," Chloe replied. "There's one subgroup in my city too, the Sunyshore Association".

The Pokémon Association ruled the Pokémon League and sponsored the gyms. Every city had a subgroup of the association, even if there wasn't a Pokémon gym. Each council was formed by five people. They governed the city together and took important decisions.

"We'll have to be around them for some weeks." My grandfather rolled his eyes. "Unluckily."

"But once I become the Gym Leader, you'll be able to stop meeting with them!" I said, trying to cheer him up. He smiled at me.

I didn't know he needed to retire so badly. But anyway, it was my turn to work hard for our family.

After having dinner, my grandmother took Chloe to our guest room, and I went directly to my bed. That night I was too tired. I had an exciting day, but I couldn't sleep at all. I couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen next. My life was going to change completely.

During my childhood, my family had offered me two possible future career paths. The worst part is that they made me choose one of them when I was only sixteen. My mother's family had run the Pokémon Gym for generations, and I was the only descendant of the current leader, so I was the obvious successor. But, my father had a career opportunity for me too, and although I ended up rejecting it, I liked that job. However, the story of how I rejected my father's family business... It's a story for another moment. The point is that I felt too much pressure to choose between those jobs. I was only sixteen and they wanted me to decide all my life in that moment.

So, up until my teenage years, I lived with my parents and my father's family in Hearthome City. But this didn't stop me from getting to know my mother's family and discover Pokémon training. I spent every summer with my grandparents in Faye City. And finally, when I was sixteen, I decided to move there and start my Gym Leader training.

Even though I never received a proper training, I could learn a lot about Pokémon by being surrounded by them. I took care of a Dedenne and a Cottonee that weren't ready to battle with Grandpa. They weren't even my own Pokémon, but they were comfortable with me. We would stay outside in our garden for hours. I carried a book all the time that explained what moves they were able to learn and how to teach them to do it. I really enjoyed helping them to become better Pokémon. And when they finally were able to battle properly, I felt a great satisfaction. I guess it's similar to raising children? I don't know, but that feeling of happiness was not comparable to anything I felt before. Once I felt it, I knew that I had made the right choice.

"Haru, are you awake?" My grandma entered my room, after knocking the door gently. "Chloe and your grandfather are about to leave. Do you want to say goodbye to them?"

It was early in the morning, but I wanted to talk with them, so I woke up. I went out with my pajamas. It was really early in the morning and the streets were empty. It's not exactly like we lived in a huge city with crowded streets, so I didn't care about what clothes I was wearing. Faye City was a small city inside a forest, and our Gym was a bit separated from the main areas of the city. I could easily go around with my pajamas and it would still be difficult for someone to see me.

When I went out, my grandfather and Chloe were in front of the door, and my grandmother was talking with her.

"I know you can win the tournament," she said.

"Oh, come on, Setsuko, you are going to make me blush!" Chloe replied.

"I've seen a lot of Pokémon battles, and you were amazing. I'm sure you'll do great." Chloe actually started to blush.

"Thank you! I hope I can make it at least to a good position. Maybe to top sixteen?"

"Don't you dare not to win! You can do it, and if you don't, I'll go there to slap everyone, including you, of course," my grandma added, laughing loudly.

"I'll come to visit after the tournament," Chloe finally said. "Thanks for everything!" She hugged my grandmother.

"And we will be watching you on the TV" she replied while they were still hugging.

"Have you already packed everything?" my grandpa said. "I don't want you to forget something important here."

"I have everything. I checked twice!" she replied, smiling.

"Chloe… Good luck," I said to her. I really wanted to be more open with her… But her and me didn't really flow. Grandma and Chloe got along well, but I wasn't surprised. Grandma got along with everyone. She was extra nice, someone that enjoys hugging and inviting people over. I wished I could be more like her.

"Oh, thank you Haru. I also wish you luck with your training. You'll be a great Leader!" she replied, with a huge smile on her radiant face.

They finally left. My grandfather said he would be back in the afternoon. So I went to bed again because I didn't have too much to do that morning.

* * *

 _Feel free to leave any comment or critique about this chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

Monday morning, not my favorite day at all. Grandpa came into my room while I was still sleeping. It was way too early, but he didn't care.

"Wake up, Haru!" he exclaimed. He opened the windows, letting the morning sunlight in the room. I squinted my eyes.

"What do you want from me? Just go away!" I have to admit that I wasn't a morning person. When Grandma was the one waking me up, I was fine. She was way more gentle and knew how to talk to me. But Grandpa always managed to get on my nerves.

"It's time for the Tournament!" he said.

"Oh…" I looked at him, confused at first. "Oh!" I finally remembered the Pokémon League and jumped out from bed. "Alright!"

"You almost missed it, sleepyhead!" He laughed at me. "Come to the kitchen. I've prepared some breakfast."

He went away, and I looked in the wardrobe for my clothes. On Sundays, I prepared all the clothes I was going to wear that week, so I didn't waste my time during mornings.

I opened the kitchen door. Grandma was at the table. She looked at me as I entered and smiled. Grandpa was already eating his bowl of rice. On the stove, a pot was boiling. The steam covered it, so I couldn't see what was inside. Soup, probably. It smelled like a combination of onion and ginger. I sat right next to my Grandma, and my feet touched something under the table. I quickly looked there to find Sylveon. She was eating from a bowl, so busy that she didn't notice me.

"Anyway, as I was saying," she said, looking to Grandpa. "I totally think she can win." She stood up and turned off the stove.

"Yeah, but…" Grandpa said.

Grandma took three bowls from the shelf and poured the soup into them. I was right. It was a vegetable soup. She put them on the table and sat again.

"Do you think she's going to lose?"

"That's not what I mean," he replied. "And losing in the Pokémon League is actually not that bad. I mean, you can lose and still be in top two."

"So, what's exactly your point?" she said. She took the soup bowl and drank from it.

"We can't be 100% sure!"

"Why?"

"Every year, lots of promising trainers go to the Tournament and find better opponents. Maybe she'll find another opponent better than her."

"Well, she's beaten you," she said.

Grandpa rolled his eyes. "Yes, but not only her. Hundreds of other trainers have beaten me and that doesn't make them special."

"But I know she's special," Grandma said.

"She's certainly good, but I'm not sure if she's as special as you say." He shook his head in disapproval.

"You're so stubborn, Hideki."

He crossed his arms and kicked on the floor several times. She was still staring at him.

"The thing is… I don't want the same thing happening again…" she said.

"Ugh! I knew you were going to say something about that. Come on! It happened more than twenty years ago. You're the stubborn one," he replied.

I didn't have a clue about what was going on. And I didn't want to interrupt them.

"They're so similar, Hideki. You can't deny that. When I first saw her the other day… I could see our daughter. Young, beautiful, energetic."

"I know they look alike, but… When are you going to stop blaming me for what happened? She left because she wanted to."

"You were too demanding and tough. She was trying her best and you never let her rest or, even, listened to her. That's why she ended up quitting, because she felt she was never going to reach your standards."

"Eh?!" he exclaimed. "And what about you?"

"It's my fault too, of course. For letting you push her to her limits. I trusted you, I believed you were a good teacher."

I had never heard the story of how my mother left Faye City and started traveling. But I understood why during that conversation. There was some unresolved tension between my grandpa and my mother and I've never noticed it. I assumed Grandma worked hard to get them closer again, but I wasn't sure if they ever made it up.

"You can tell him," she said, "Tell Haru the truth. Tell him why you never trained him." She stood up.

He hesitated, and turned his face from me. I was surprised the conversation suddenly focused on me I didn't expect that.

"I… I deeply regretted what I did to your mother," he said, his voice cracking. "I avoided training with you because I don't want you to leave…"

"Oh… You worry too much!" I smiled at him. "I want to learn. And this is the path I've chosen. This is what I want… No, this is what I need to do. I will never leave, no matter how hard the challenge is."

He stood up and came next to me. "I'm so proud of you, Haru." He tried to subtly wipe some tears, but I could notice it. He hugged me.

"Let's bet!" Grandma was still looking at us, with her arms crossed.

"Huh?" he said.

"If Chloe wins, you will do all the work in the house. For a month."

"And if she doesn't win?"

"Well, we will keep doing chores together?" She smirked.

"Wait. Aren't you supposed to do them alone if I win the bet?"

"No one has ever said that," she walked towards the door. She looked back again at us before leaving, "You can start by doing the dishes today. Because I'm sure that Chloe will be the champion."

"But why are you so sure she'll be the champion?" he asked.

"Why aren't you?"

"I need to see more of her to believe she's as special as you say."

I actually understood his position. He was extremely skeptical. He always needed to see things for himself to believe them.

"Okay. We'll see who is right," she said before leaving the kitchen.

Grandpa looked at me, and I just shrugged. After finishing my meal I left the dishes on the table.

"I'm rooting for Chloe too, so…" I looked at him and then quickly at the sink. I left the room before he could answer to me. I went to the living room with Grandma.

The Pokémon League Tournament channel was already on. And when the theme song started, Grandpa ran to the couch, Sylveon following.

He never battled in the tournament, but he met a lot of people who did. He always watched the tournament on the TV, not only to see Pokémon battles, but to see his gym opponents one more time.

Since he decided to retire the week before, this year's tournament was going to be his last one as the Gym Leader. As he watched, his breath quickened. I just sat by his side, my eyes fixed on the TV. I recognized some of the Trainers as previous Gym challengers, especially the ones that came in the last months. After some of them, Chloe appeared.

"She's amazing," Grandma commented, smiling.

Chloe was battling against another girl. For her first battle, Chloe chose the Infernape that we already knew, and the other girl chose a Slaking. It seemed easy for Infernape, but Normal-types like Slaking always hid some tricks. Someone may think that Infernape being a Fighting-type could defeat Slaking in the blink of an eye, but that round lasted for more than half an hour.

It was a long battle, but our friend finally won. After seeing the end of the battle, Grandma told us that she had to go to the city to run some errands. I stayed in the living room until the daily rounds ended.

Hours later, while I was in my room, Grandpa called me from downstairs. I quickly put the bookmark on the page I was reading and ran to the stairs. I entered the living room and he just pointed at a chair. I sat there.

"You're starting your training today," he said.

"But I thought we were waiting until the tournament ends," I replied.

"We're not," he replied, very calm.

"Grandpa, what's going on?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten about the Labors?"

"Oh… You're right…" I did actually forget about them. I focused too much on the tournament.

"We are going to meet the five elders. And then you're taking the First Labor," Grandpa said.

"So… They are going to judge everything I do. And… What if they are too harsh with me?" I asked.

He looked at me and sighed. I knew that I was anticipating too much, and even overthinking it, but I needed some kind of comfort. However, judging from Grandpa's reaction—sighing and not complaining about my words—you can guess that he wasn't a big fan of those elders, and that he was just as ready as I was for the meeting. I don't recall him having actual problems with them, but if he could avoid them he would.

We went to a building in the traditional part of town. It was near the Gym, but I had never been there before. That was just another thing that Grandpa apparently forgot to tell me.

We were waiting at the door, and I stared at the walls. This building was old, the kind of old that would appear on a history book or in a traveling book guide. And it smelled really nice. The lavender aroma was quite soothing. I suddenly forgot about the labors, the elders, and all those responsibilities that bugged me out, and let my mind drift.

"Haru!"

He pulled me out of my daydream. It felt nice lying in a lavender field on a warm summer day with no one but myself, even if it was only my imagination. Daydreaming was a self-defense mechanism to avoid thinking and stressing out about the elders. But there wasn't room for escapism right now.

"What's up?" I said. Not the best answer, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

"What do you mean, 'What's up'? Don't speak like that here! And I called you because you were looking at the walls, and I think you were ignoring everything I said," he replied.

"Oh… Sorry. What did you say?"

"I said that we are going to meet the elders in a few moments. It's important for you to know that you have to bow in front of them. They are more important than you can imagine."

I nodded. I would've run away in that moment if I had the chance. They were going to judge everything I did, and I knew they wouldn't like me.

As I had imagined, he had a long white beard. Grandpa quickly bowed. "Now?" I whispered, my eyes shifting between him and the elder. Grandpa didn't reply. I expected that we'd only bow in front of all of the elders, so I didn't do it. That bearded man glared at me. Grandpa gave me a disapproving glance and subtly shook his head.

"I'm Nakamura," he said. "Come in."

"This is my nephew, Haru," Grandpa said.

"I'm Kimura, Haru Kimura. Nice to meet you," I replied.

"Come with me, please," said the old man.

My grandfather and I followed him to a living room. As I entered, I squinted my eyes. The room was far brighter than the corridor. The wooden walls of the room were carved with patterns of flowers and the moon. Two men sat on a fancy leather sofa. They stood up when we entered the room, and went next to the other two members, in front of a desk. I felt more energetic because of the strong coffee aroma in the room.

"They are Mr. Kodama, Mr. Fujisaki, Mr. Mashima, and Mr. Tanaka," Mr. Nakamura said, pointing at all of them.

They looked at me, and I bowed with grace. That was the bowing moment I was waiting for. I looked at Grandpa from the corner of my eye and I saw him bowing too. I kept bowing until he stopped.

"I'm Haru Kimura," I said to them.

"I hope you can forgive my nephew's mistakes," my grandpa said to them.

What? I felt betrayed. Why he was anticipating that I would make mistakes or be a total failure? That was unfair.

"We will be as fair as we can. We only judge wisely," replied one of them. I think it was Mr. Tanaka.

Grandpa showed that he didn't believe in me, and that elder now assured that they were going to be judgmental. And in that moment, I knew. I knew that the test was going to be as fun as a ride in a roller coaster. But a roller coaster that only goes down and is surrounded by lava, because I was in hell.

"The First Ancient Labor is going to take place today. In fact, we are about to start," Mr. Nakamura said.

"I don't know what it is about," I replied. No one told me anything.

"When we get there, you'll know what to do. For now, keep quiet," Mr. Kodama said, without even blinking.

He was a bit blunt, and I don't like those types of people. It was like he didn't know how to be nice or something.

"But at least we can give him that thing," Mr. Mashima suggested. He had a huge pair of rounded glasses. Probably the nicest of the group.

"What thing?" Mr. Nakamura asked.

"You know, that thing, the thing," Mr. Mashima replied.

"We are not giving him that," said Mr. Fujisaki, who kept silent until that moment. He didn't even look at his partners when talking to them. He kept glaring at me. What's his problem? "He will perform the Labor and then, maybe if he is successful enough, he will get that."

Mr. Nakamura asked us to follow him again. The rest of the elders came in after us. We walked into the forest. I could recognize that part of the forest, I had been there before. It was near the old town. We kept walking a little bit further. I saw some Pokémon in the bushes and trees.

The forest radiated in the beginning of summer. Sunlight passed through the trees' leaves and branches, while the bird Pokémon sang. The summer flowers were colorful and bright, they gave us the gift of their sweet smells.

"Stop," Mr. Nakamura said. "The Labor will be held right here." I was kind of nervous. I didn't have any clue about what was going to happen. "I will be the one explaining the First Ancient Labor," the same man said.

Nakamura stand in the center of the group. We were surrounding him, waiting for the explanation.

"Since the beginning, the bond between humans and Pokémon has been crucial for our existence. When the first Pokémon trainers came to live in the Faye Forest, right before the foundation of Faye City, they had to bond with Fairy Pokémon to be able to live in their land," Mr. Nakamura said. "But it was difficult…"

"Do you know why it was so difficult, Haru?" Mr. Mashima asked. "And don't worry, we aren't going to judge you."

"Because people from Sinnoh never had any kind of contact with Fairy-type Pokémon before, since they only lived in this peninsula," I answered. I happened to know my fair share of Faye City's history, so that wasn't a problem

"That's correct!" Mr. Mashima said. He was writing something on a notebook. I couldn't possibly know what he was writing about.

I imagined they would mention The Legendary Kibou, one of the founders of the city and the first Gym Leader. Everybody in the city loved and praised him. He was actually a big deal. There were several holidays around the year to commemorate him. I had bought and read two books about him, 'The Legendary Adventures of Kibou' and 'Kibou, Beyond the Myth'.

"No one dared to go near the Fairy Pokémon, but finally, one of them did, The Legendary Kibou, Tamer of Fairies, Friend of the Forest, Walker of the Grass, Brother of the Flowers, Dancer of Dreams, and First Gym Leader of Faye City..." he said, his eyes sparkling.

I admired Kibou, to be honest. Or at least, his stories. Ten centuries ago, when Sinnoh was expanding, Kibou led a group exploring its western peninsula. They encountered the previously unseen Fairy-type Pokémon on it, but they weren't so friendly at first—they'd play tricks on anyone unfamiliar. In the name of learning and expansion, Kibou spent years understanding and befriending the Fairy-types, and then founded Faye City on their ground, with their permission. That's why we like Fairy-types so much. Seeing as he's the person who made my Gym possible, I can't help but not like him a little bit. Some others don't, but he's admirable in my eyes.

Mr. Nakamura was ready to keep talking about Kibou. "Without his effort, our city would've never existed. So, we, the Faye Association, want our Gym Leader to carry the belief that the bond between humans and Pokémon is crucial for our society. So, to pass the First Ancient Labor, you have to find a Fairy Pokémon and befriend them. You have to catch them without battling or using violence. Only becoming their friend and convincing them to go with you. That's what The Legendary Kibou did when he first met the fairies."

"But how can I do that? Do I just… give them some food?"

"He doesn't have what it takes!" exclaimed Mr. Fujisaki.

Why he was always so angry? He started yelling even louder.

"He's going to fail! Why did you choose him? Oh. You don't have to answer" he yelled to my grandfather. "He was your only choice!"

He didn't know me. I couldn't even understand where his hatred came from. I could feel a lot of tension in that moment. It is said that people from Faye City are usually very nice and calm, like a fairy would be, but that man had fire in his eyes, burning with rage. Mr. Nakamura approached me, and kept talking about the First Ancient Labor.

"It's not an impossible task. It's doable," he said, looking at me kindly. "Take your time. You have until sunset."

How is 'You have until sunset' supposed to calm me? It's worse to know that there's a deadline.

Grandpa gave me a thumbs up. That was his subtle way of cheering me in a formal and serious environment. The elders and Grandpa sat around a tree, and one of them, Mr. Mashima, took a tea kettle out the bag he was carrying. Mr. Kodama had his porcelain tea cup set in a wooden box. Mr. Fujisaki glared at me while he was sipping his cup, and I instinctively walked towards the trees. I wanted to go away from him. I thought that I should go deep in the forest, because Pokemon don't usually go to the glades when people visit the woods.

The forest seemed to be painted with watercolor, and the time passing by faded it away. I ran through every inch of that canvas, to only find a colorless palette.

I heard some quiet noises from a bush. I quickly went over there. I searched inside of it. Nothing. I had to actually get inside of it. The leaves of the brush were tickling my legs, and I even got one leaf inside my pants. I got as close as I could to the noise and I could already distinguish a silhouette. And… a Starly. Ugh. It's not like I despise Flying Pokémon, but it wasn't what I looked for.

Sigh. I shouldn't get excited so fast. I leaned on a tree, covered my face with the hands and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes, and behind a bush, there was something… Pink! That's a Fairy-type color.

I followed the blur, but I didn't know where it was running. I tried to guide myself by the noises it made while going through the brushes. It stopped and hide behind the trunk of a tree. I walked carefully to it, avoiding scaring it away. I found out I chased a Deerling.

He smiled, but I couldn't smile back.

"What are you doing here?" I asked the Pokémon. "I didn't know Pokémon like you lived in this region. Strange." The Pokémon approached me and touched his nose to my leg. I kneeled down and patted his back.

"And you're pretty late, huh? You're still wearing your spring fur."

I'd never thought I would find a pink Deerling in summer and in Sinnoh. Textbooks always said Deerling were rare outside of Unova. And why did this one have its spring colors? Maybe it was a late bloomer. Regardless, it wasn't that late, I suppose. It was still June. I'm not an expert in weather nor Deerling, either.

I kept walking,, and the Pokémon followed me. We walked together for a while until we found a glade. Tired from walking, I sat in the shade and relaxed my legs. That Deerling impressed me. He sat next to me and kept by my side all the time.

I could see the sun slowly hiding away. I needed time—a lot of time—to find a Fairy Pokémon. It's hilarious how textbooks say there's a lot of Fairy Pokémon in Faye Forest, but not one popped up after hours of wandering through the woods.

Deerling stared at me with a pensive gaze, his head tilted.

"I need to find a Fairy Pokémon," I said calmly to him. "Do you happen to know where they live?" Deerling stood up and walked towards the forest. I followed him. Did he understand what I said?

Branches scratched my shoulders as I walked along. The trees got taller as we went deeper into the woods. The light faded away. We got to a glade with a tiny stream in it, with a small group of Pokémon. Deerling walked towards them as they stared at me. I approached the group. Some of them stepped back from me while others fled. A Bidoof made a splash as he dove in the water. My eyes glancing at all corners of the scene, I planted my feet on the ground and stood with my hands behind my back. My throat tightened up. Nervousness had me at the stake — these Pokémon either planned to scurry away or, far worse, strike and slice me like the wood of a Berry tree.

Berry...? Oh, that's right. The realization made my pocket feel just a tad heavier. I dug into it, and as I expected, I found some spare Berries. A Clefairy inched towards me, sniffing. I smiled at it. "Are you hungry?" I placed some Berries into my cupped hands and kneeled down. She came up to me and smelled my hand. As she picked a Berry out of my hand, she threw it on the ground, not even looking at it or considering eating it. She laughed, the other Pokémon laughed too. ...Well, at least what Clefairy did calmed them.

I checked my pockets, but there were no more Berries. I had to come up with something… Maybe something in the trees. I looked through the branches of the trees surrounding the glade. Empty. Everything was empty. I crossed my arms and kicked a pinecone on the ground. Giving them food might've been a good way to befriend them, but I needed to find some first. Wait. I just kicked... A pinecone… I could use it! They didn't like my food… But I'm sure they'll want to play with me.

"Hey! Deerling!" I threw the pinecone to Deerling, who caught it with his nose. He threw it to Clefairy. She wasn't looking at him, and the pinecone landed on her head. She looked at it and shouted walking away from it. I grabbed it again and threw it to the Bidoof that was hanging out with them. The Bidoof took it with his mouse and swam down the river with it.

It was getting darker and darker. My time was running out. It was getting so late that the Kricketune were already singing. I sat on the floor, tired. I didn't know what else to do. The Pokémon ignored me and stayed on the little circle away from me. I took some deep breaths and stood up again.

The music of the Kricketune inspired me to dance. I didn't know how to dance, and I bet I'm not good at it. But I caught their attention. Clefairy laughed and came to me, and she danced too. I looked at the other Pokémon and waved at them, as I did that, I didn't notice a huge root and I tripped over it.

Once again, I was on the ground. That time getting up was harder than ever. I couldn't… Or maybe I just didn't want to. Trying and failing at every attempt was tiring. The fall hurt. Even more mentally than physically.

The voices of the elders were already in my head. A failure. A mistake. That's what Mr. Fujisaki would say. Grandpa will be disappointed with me, for failing the first Labor. I think no one in history has ever failed the very first Labor. I will have to leave and go back to my city, with my parents. I will have to go back to a boring, meaningless life.

I felt something warm on my back. Deerling and Clefairy. They came to see how I was. I sat on the ground. They stared at me.

"I'm fine…"

Clefairy touched my hand.

"I'm… I'm fine…"

Deerling rubbed his nose to my arm.

"Listen… I'm fine… I'm telling you," my voice cracked.

I wasn't. I wasn't fine.

I quickly wiped out the tears on my eyes. Clefairy hugged me.

"I don't want your pity. I'm tired of being helpless. I want to stand on my own," I said, standing up.

Deerling smiled at me. The other Pokémon were still next to the stream, looking at me.

"I'm going to the elders, and I'll tell them I failed. So what. Just one failure doesn't mean anything… I can come back. I will! I'm sure next time I'll do better."

As I walked to the woods, I felt something on my leg. Clefairy… And Deerling. Both of them again.

"...Are you coming with me?" I said.

They nodded. A huge smile appeared on my face.

"My time is about to run out, so let's hurry!" I took Clefairy into my arms. "Let's go!"

We came back to the glade where the elders were. I knew more or less where it was. I used to wander the forest a lot, and they were near the city. Leaping to and from the jutted rocks on the path, I made my way past the mossy roots on the ground. The elders came into my sight as I approached the last rock, so I signaled for Deerling and Clefairy to follow me to them.

When I got where the elders were, Grandpa was pleased to see that I brought not only one, but two Pokémon with me. He showed me a thumbs up and smiled.

Mr. Nakamura welcomed me with a bow. I quickly bowed too.

"You took longer than expected," he said.

"I know. I'm sorry," I replied.

"You have two Pokémon with you," Mr. Nakamura said, "But only one of them is Fairy-type."

"I know that Deerling is Normal and Grass, but I met him in the forest and he followed me everywhere. I think he likes me," I explained. Deerling's tail brushed up against my legs. I grinned and chuckled.

"I see… That is good news. That demonstrates your compassion with Pokémon. And you also brought Clefairy, which is a Fairy type," Mr. Nakamura said.

"That means I passed the test?" I said, with a big smile.

"Almost…"

"Al-most?"

"Now, to strengthen your relationship with the Pokémon you need to keep them in a Poké Ball," he explained. He searched his bag and took two Poké Balls out of it.

He handed them to me and I approached Deerling and Clefairy. "Do you want to come?" Both of them touched the Poké Balls, kind of catching themselves. And with that, the First Labor was completed.

"The next Friday we will go to your house, where the Second Labor will be held," Mr. Fujisaki said, glaring at me.

"I'll be waiting for you," I said. I couldn't wait to pass the other Labors.

"I'll make the next task as difficult as I can. After all, a Gym Leader has to be prepared for anything," he replied and clenched his fists. I was growing tired of dealing with him.

"I wish you luck on that," I said.


End file.
